1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 The Word of God is food for the spirit and health to the body. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Through the spirit of revelation, we are guided into the wisdom and deep mysteries in His Word that make our lives vibrant and productive. 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Welcome to the Merciful Gospel Church podcast. 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:25,000 As you listen in, the glory of God will be quickened and activated in your life. 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,000 And now, the Word. 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,000 Praise the Lord. 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:38,000 This morning, I want us to look at a very important subject in my mind. 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,000 The subject of mentorship. 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:50,000 We'll look at the relationship between covenant and mentorship. 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:01:00,000 How is someone who is in covenant with God supposed to respond to mentorship? 11 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 In other words, do you have a mentor? 12 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Are you mentoring somebody? 13 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,000 Those are our two main questions this morning. 14 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Do you have a mentor? Do you appreciate the importance of having a mentor? 15 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,000 Are you mentoring someone in your life? 16 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:28,000 So let's look into the Word of God. Now let's turn to our Bible. It's the book of Genesis, Chapter 18. 17 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 We shall begin there. 18 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:37,000 Genesis 18. We'll read from verse 17 to verse 19. 19 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:45,000 The Bible says, And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? 20 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:58,000 Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. 21 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Verse 19, For I know I have known him, in order that he will command his children and his household after him, 22 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:23,000 that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. 23 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Father, we thank you for this morning. You have brought us in this house. 24 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,000 There is a reason why we have come in the house today. 25 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,000 There is a purpose why we are here this morning. 26 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:44,000 May your will be done in each of our lives. Be glorified, O God of heaven. 27 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Jesus, be glorified. Let your will be done in each of our lives, we pray. 28 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,000 In Jesus' name, Amen. 29 00:02:54,000 --> 00:03:02,000 When God looked at Abraham, he saw two things about Abraham. 30 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Two things impressed God about this man. 31 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:15,000 He said, How can I hide what I am going to do from this man? 32 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Since I can see in the future, he is going to become a great and mighty man, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him. 33 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000 How did God know that? 34 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Why was God speaking in such a very convincing manner? 35 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:46,000 He said, I know. This man will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him. 36 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:53,000 Why was God so convinced about that? Why was God speaking so emphatically? 37 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Why is God so certain about it? Why is God so sure about this happening? 38 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Well, the answer in verse 19 says, For I have known this man that he will command, he will teach, he will disciple, he will mentor his children and his household to keep the way of the Lord and to do righteousness and justice. 39 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:32,000 God was impressed by this man because Abraham had the ability to mentor others. 40 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Because Abraham could mentor others, God was convinced that the vision given him would be perpetuated. 41 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Every generation would embrace the covenant and move with God. 42 00:04:47,000 --> 00:05:00,000 The covenant that God made with Abraham was going to continue in the succeeding generations. Why? Because Abraham was a mentor. 43 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,000 He was going to mentor his children. 44 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:12,000 He was going to mentor those in his house to fear the Lord, to do righteousness and justice. 45 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,000 God saw in the life of Abraham the characteristic of a mentor. 46 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:25,000 This man could teach, he could disciple, he could influence others to fear God. 47 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,000 And because of that God says, Ah, this man will not fail. 48 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:35,000 What happened with him will continue in all the other generations. 49 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:45,000 And I'll bring to pass all I've said about him. Hallelujah. 50 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:51,000 God showed me the importance of mentoring others. 51 00:05:51,000 --> 00:06:00,000 God may give you a vision that may not be fulfilled fully in your life. 52 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:05,000 But that vision will be fulfilled fully in the next generation. 53 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:16,000 But for that to happen, you must mentor the next generation to fear God, to do righteousness and justice. 54 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,000 God said, I've seen this man. He's a disciple. 55 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:30,000 He will ensure that the covenant continues in those who come after him. Why? Because he mentors people. 56 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:37,000 He teaches people. He disciples people. He teaches them to fear me. 57 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:46,000 My question is, do you teach others to fear God? Are you a mentor? Do you mentor others? 58 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Now, I want us to see this in the life of Abraham because God is not just saying this out of the blue. 59 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,000 He has looked at the life of Abraham and he has seen this pattern. 60 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:06,000 God has observed this man for some time and he sees a pattern. 61 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:14,000 Let's look at what God saw about this man in the book of Genesis chapter 14. 62 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:24,000 Let's see how this man exemplifies mentorship. Genesis 14 verse 13. 63 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,000 And there came one that had escaped and told Abraham the Hebrew, 64 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:40,000 for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol and brother of Anna. 65 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:49,000 And these were the confederate with Abraham. Verse 14. 66 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:55,000 When Abraham had heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, 67 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:03,000 born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Darn. 68 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:14,000 This man Abraham, when he entered Canaan and was living in Canaan, his life was so impressive 69 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:21,000 that even Canaanites observed something special about Abraham. 70 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:29,000 And three of them, Mamre, Eschol, and Anna, decided to become confederate with him. 71 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:36,000 They made a covenant with him. They entered into a partnership with him. 72 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:47,000 And he became their appointed leader. Abraham began to mentor Canaanites, three nobles. 73 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:52,000 These men were impressed with Abraham. They said, look, we see something about you. 74 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:58,000 Can we come under your leadership? Can we come under your leadership? 75 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:03,000 Can we be in covenant with you? And I believe, and I'm going to show you, 76 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:11,000 I believe that Abraham began to show them the fear of God. 77 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:17,000 He began to teach them righteousness. He began to teach them justice. 78 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:26,000 Abraham is a mentor. And these men became disciples of Abraham. 79 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Why do I know that? Because when Abraham had news that his nephew had been kidnapped 80 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:45,000 by four armies, four armies attacked Sodom and Gomorrah, and they took note as a captive and other people, 81 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Abraham went to his disciples and said, look, I need your help. 82 00:09:51,000 --> 00:10:00,000 And these men, three nobles, agreed, joined Abraham and attacked four armies. 83 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:05,000 Now, that is the Phaedo. Are you here this morning? 84 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:12,000 You are attacking four armies that are well established, armies that are well armed. 85 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,000 First of all, they were outnumbered. They are outgunned. 86 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:25,000 These four armies were huge. But Abraham convinced them to join them to attack these armies. 87 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:32,000 Why? Because Abraham had discipled them and they had the same faith Abraham had. 88 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:41,000 They knew the God that Abraham serves, when we attack these four armies, we can defeat them. 89 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:48,000 They were convinced that the God that Abraham serves is God. 90 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:53,000 And in the middle, we are outnumbered. There are four armies we are attacking, four armies, 91 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,000 and they have just recently defeated five kings. 92 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:03,000 Abraham tells them, are you willing to come and help me rescue my nephew? 93 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:15,000 They said, yes. How do you say that? When you are only 320 people, you are attacking four armies. 94 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:22,000 Because Abraham had discipled them, they had the same kind of faith he had in the God he serves. 95 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Abraham was a mentor. Abraham, I don't know. 96 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:35,000 My question is, who are you mentoring? Do you have a mentor? 97 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:42,000 Because this is what God saw about Abraham. He was drawn to him because he saw in this man 98 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:46,000 the ability to disciple other people. 99 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:57,000 It is even more impressive that in verse 14, it is said he had 318 young men who were born in his house, 100 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:03,000 whom he trained. Hallelujah. 101 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Abraham did not have children at this time. He was childless. 102 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:21,000 But he was so caring that he trusted in children who were not his biological children. 103 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:27,000 These young men were born in his house. These were children of servants. 104 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:38,000 But Abraham loved them. He trained them. He discipled them. He showed them the God he served. 105 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:45,000 Why do I know that? Because in chapter 17, all these men were circumcised 106 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:50,000 and they embraced the covenant of Abraham. 107 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:59,000 All the men were circumcised. These men who were servants, they were not his children. 108 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:06,000 Abraham loved them. He trained them. He mentored them, not knowing that later on his God needed them. 109 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:13,000 Hallelujah. Are you investing in other people? 110 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:22,000 You never know the people you invest in. One day they might be the people that God will use to serve you. 111 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Abraham did not know this young man one day will help him to rescue his nephew. 112 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:34,000 But he discipled them. Oh, praise the Lord. 113 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:40,000 These are the traits that impressed God about Abraham. 114 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:51,000 He saw in this man a mentor. Hallelujah. 115 00:13:51,000 --> 00:14:01,000 He saw a man who can invest in others and teach them to work with God, teach them to do justice. 116 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:08,000 And he said, because of this, I know this man will not fail to become a great man. 117 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:14,000 This man, I know, is going to become a great nation. 118 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:21,000 And all this will be blessed in him. Why? Because he will teach his house. 119 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:27,000 He will teach his children. This man is a mentor. 120 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:35,000 The covenant I've given him is going to continue because every nation will know how to work with God. 121 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:41,000 Oh, praise the Lord. 122 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,000 God observed this man for some time and he saw this trait. 123 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,000 The other example I want to give is the example of Elisa. 124 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:56,000 Elisa was the oldest servant in Abram's house. 125 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:04,000 This man was like a son. Abram raised this man like a son. 126 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:11,000 God cares how you take care of other people. 127 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:17,000 God cares how you handle young people. 128 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:23,000 God observed in Abraham a desire to help others and help young people. 129 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:28,000 He discipled 318 young men. 130 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:33,000 I want to talk to the men who are here, those of us who are older. 131 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:39,000 Please take interest in young people. Thank you, Chris. 132 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Be interested in young men and young women. Invest in them. 133 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:49,000 These are things that impressed God about Abraham. 134 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:55,000 He looked at young people and he desired to mentor them. 135 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 He invested in them. 136 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:04,000 This man, Elisa, grew up like a son. Abraham invested in him. 137 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:10,000 He taught him how to pray. He taught him how to walk in faith. 138 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:16,000 Hallelujah. He taught him how to listen to God's voice. 139 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:20,000 He taught him how to be a man of integrity. 140 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,000 He gave Elisa so much gold and silver. 141 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:29,000 He gave him so many things to take to the family of Rebekah. 142 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:33,000 This man was a man of integrity. He was disciplined. 143 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:41,000 He said when he got there, he said, I am not going to eat until I finish my assignment. 144 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,000 And every step of the way he was praying. 145 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:50,000 How did it end up? It is Abraham. 146 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,000 Abraham mentored him. Who were you mentoring? 147 00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:00,000 Who were you training? 148 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:06,000 All the women who are here, find those who are younger and mentor them. 149 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:11,000 Love them, invest in them, spend time with them. 150 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,000 This is what God saw in Abraham. 151 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,000 Hallelujah. 152 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:24,000 Now, one other example I want to show you in the Bible that shows us this man was a mentor. 153 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:31,000 It is found in chapter 22, Genesis 22 verse 7. 154 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:41,000 God has told, at this time, God had said to Abraham to go up Mount Moriah 155 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,000 and offer his son at the sacrifice. 156 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:55,000 And as they're going up to Mount Moriah, in verse 7, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, My father. 157 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,000 And he said, Here I am, my son. 158 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:03,000 Then he said, The fire and the wood. 159 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,000 But where is the lamp for a burnt offering? 160 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 Where is the lamp? 161 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,000 Look at what Abraham says in verse 8. 162 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:22,000 Abraham said, My son, God will provide for himself the lamp for a burnt offering. 163 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,000 So the two of them went together. 164 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:30,000 To me, that is significant. 165 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:35,000 The young man asked, Daddy, I see the fire. 166 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,000 I have the firewood. You're holding a knife. 167 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,000 But where is the lamp? 168 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:48,000 Abraham, as they climb up the mountain, walks by faith. 169 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 Says, God will provide. They keep on walking. 170 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:57,000 Isaac never asked that question again. 171 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:03,000 He's like his father. He walks by faith. 172 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,000 Abraham has done a good job. 173 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,000 He has discipled his son to walk by faith. 174 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:20,000 Says, My son, when we get there, God will give us the sacrifice. 175 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:25,000 Now, here is a teenager. Why do I know he's a teenager? 176 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Because he's holding firewood that is big enough to burn a sheep to ashes. 177 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:42,000 The firewood he's carrying is large enough to burn a sheep. 178 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:47,000 That's a lot of firewood. He's carrying his heavy load. 179 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,000 He's going up the mountain. 180 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:53,000 So it's not just a baby. It's not just eight years old. 181 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,000 It's probably about 17 or 18 years. 182 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,000 He's a young man carrying the load. 183 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:07,000 When they get to the top of the mountain, without saying anything, 184 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:18,000 he prepares the altar, puts the firewood, and ties the hands of Isaac and his feet as a sacrifice, 185 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,000 and puts him on the firewood. 186 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Now, this man, this young man, could have fought his father. 187 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,000 He was strong enough, 18, strong enough, because he said, Daddy, what are you doing? 188 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,000 He would have run down the mountain. 189 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,000 He said, No, no, no, I'm not going to die. 190 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:44,000 But the young man says, somehow he knew. 191 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,000 Somehow he knew. 192 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:56,000 But God was in this because his father had mentored him well. 193 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:01,000 Somehow he knew that this is of God. 194 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:17,000 If God risked his life to save a nephew and is now killing his own son, there must be a reason. 195 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:25,000 He also walked by faith and laid on the firewood. 196 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:32,000 By faith, he knew it, but he knew somehow God is in this. 197 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:40,000 If my father went out and risked his life to save his nephew, 198 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:48,000 Lord, there must be a good reason why I'm being tied. 199 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:54,000 And offered, he kept quiet. 200 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:58,000 Abraham had trained his son very well. 201 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:04,000 Abraham, Isaac also walked by faith. 202 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,000 That's what God saw about this man. 203 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,000 He says, Ah, I have seen this man. 204 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,000 I have seen this man. 205 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:19,000 I have no doubt he will become a great man. 206 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,000 And all nations shall be blessing him. 207 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,000 Why? Because he will teach. 208 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:27,000 He will disciple. 209 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,000 He will mentor. 210 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:35,000 He will lead for us others to walk in my ways, to fear me. 211 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,000 Oh, hallelujah. 212 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:48,000 Some of the things that God had spoken to Abraham could not be fulfilled in his time. 213 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:53,000 God gave Abraham land. 214 00:22:53,000 --> 00:23:00,000 But when Abraham died, all he owned was a cave of a Machapela. 215 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:06,000 Machapela was the cave he bought where he buried his wife, Sarah. 216 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:10,000 That's the only land he owned. 217 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:14,000 God said, I have given you all this land. 218 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:22,000 But by the time Abraham died, the only thing he owned was a cave where he buried Sarah. 219 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,000 That was his only property. 220 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:37,000 So there was a need for those who were going to come after to embrace the covenant so that that promise would come to pass. 221 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:49,000 There are things God has spoken to you, things that will not come to pass in your time, but they will come to pass in the generation of your children. 222 00:23:49,000 --> 00:24:01,000 If you will mentor them, if you will mentor them, if your son, your daughters will embrace the fear of God, 223 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:10,000 then what God has spoken to you about that is not fulfilled in your life will be fulfilled in their lives. 224 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:17,000 God told Abraham that I'll give you children that you can't count. 225 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,000 He says, look in the sky, if you can count the stars, count them. 226 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,000 That's how many children are going to be. 227 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,000 That never came to pass in his life. 228 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:34,000 That out of the covenant that came to pass in the succeeding generations. 229 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:48,000 It's important to disciple our children, disciple those who work with us, those who because some things that God has spoken to us won't be fulfilled in our lifetime. 230 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,000 They'll be fulfilled in those who come after us. 231 00:24:51,000 --> 00:25:04,000 But disciple them, mentor them, teach them to fear God, to do righteousness and justice. 232 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:15,000 You know, yesterday I was doing some research, I googled and I found out something interesting about Samsung. 233 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Samsung is the family business. 234 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:26,000 Samsung is a Korean huge company. 235 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:33,000 It's called Samsung Group of Companies and it was founded in 1938. 236 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:39,000 The founder, a gentleman called B.C. Lee, is now dead. 237 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:46,000 But the founder began the business selling fish and agricultural produce. 238 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,000 That's how it started. 239 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,000 The founder began by selling fish and produce. 240 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,000 But it grew. 241 00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:02,000 But his son took over the business. 242 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:09,000 And now as we speak, Samsung don't only sell phones. 243 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,000 They sell all kinds of electronics. 244 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:18,000 TV, fridges, cool cars, freezers. 245 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,000 They manufacture cars. 246 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,000 You know that there are Samsung cars? 247 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,000 You know that? 248 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,000 Oh, they make very good cars. 249 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:31,000 They have construction companies and they have also insurance companies. 250 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:43,000 So it is a mega company, but it started as a business selling fish. 251 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:54,000 But the founder discipled his son, mentored his son, because some things will not come to pass in your life. 252 00:26:54,000 --> 00:27:02,000 Some things that God has installed will come to pass in the lives of your children. 253 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,000 Now the grandson is being mentored. 254 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,000 He's the vice chairman of Samsung Group of Companies. 255 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:13,000 He's being mentored by his father. 256 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:18,000 It is a family business that continues to grow and expand. 257 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000 That principle is also in the Bible. 258 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,000 In fact, it began in the Bible. 259 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,000 Jethro mentored Moses. 260 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:30,000 Moses mentored Joshua. 261 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,000 Eli mentored Samuel. 262 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,000 Naomi mentored Ruth. 263 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Mordecai mentored Esther. 264 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,000 David mentored Solomon. 265 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,000 Jesus mentored the twelve disciples. 266 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Paul mentored Timothy. 267 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,000 It is the principle of the Bible. 268 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:55,000 It's in the Bible. 269 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:05,000 If you have a business, if you have a vision, if you have a school, 270 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:15,000 if God has blessed a dream in your heart, this is an important trait to train and mentor others 271 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:27,000 so that the blessing of God will continue and the vision shall be comprehensively fulfilled in succeeding generations. 272 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,000 Praise the Lord. 273 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:41,000 Now, the second thing I want to share with you this morning is that imperfect mentors are perfect for the job. 274 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,000 Write that down. 275 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:49,000 Imperfect mentors are perfect for the job. 276 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:55,000 All human mentors are imperfect. 277 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:56,000 One thought is imperfect. 278 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:00,000 So are you. 279 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,000 Don't just look at me. 280 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,000 So are you. 281 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:08,000 We're all imperfect. 282 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:15,000 God is saying this to a man who is imperfect. 283 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:20,000 Already Abraham has made many, many mistakes. 284 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:26,000 He has lied twice that Sarah is his wife. 285 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,000 He has slept with a maid, another child with a haggard. 286 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:36,000 This man was not perfect. 287 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:40,000 But God says, I still know this man. 288 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,000 I know this man. 289 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,000 He would teach his children to fear me. 290 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,000 And to me, that says a lot. 291 00:29:50,000 --> 00:30:02,000 That shows that because we're imperfect, we need imperfect people who have succeeded to mentor us. 292 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,000 Did you hear that? 293 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:12,000 Because we're imperfect, we need also imperfect mentors who have succeeded to mentor us. 294 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,000 I'll give you an example. 295 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:31,000 If you are disabled and you're in a wheelchair and you want to succeed in life, you'll go to someone who is disabled but has succeeded in life. 296 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:35,000 And you'll ask him, how did you make it? 297 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:41,000 You don't go to a man who is working with both, you know, who is normal and say, how did you succeed in life? 298 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,000 Because he does not relate with your situation. 299 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,000 Are you following? 300 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:58,000 You benefit much more by going to someone who is also disabled but has succeeded in life. 301 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,000 You will ask him, how did you make it? 302 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,000 That person can relate with your situation. 303 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,000 He will tell you what he has gone through. 304 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:16,000 That's why imperfect people who have succeeded make good mentors. 305 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,000 Hallelujah. 306 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:23,000 They'll tell you what to avoid. 307 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,000 They will let you know what's around the corner. 308 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:35,000 You know, when you're driving, you may come to a place that has got a sharp corner and you can't see what's ahead of you. 309 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:44,000 Well, mentors in life have been there and they will tell you, ahead of you, there is a pot hole. 310 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:50,000 Ahead of you, there is a zebra crossing because they've been there. 311 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:59,000 Maybe they also made a mistake and they will hope you prepare well for your life, for your ministry. 312 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:05,000 That's why I'm saying imperfect people are perfect for the job. 313 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:09,000 I see in the Bible, none of these men were perfect. 314 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:14,000 Moses had a terrible temper. 315 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,000 Elijah was almost schizophrenic. 316 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,000 He was unpredictable. 317 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,000 Elijah was a loner. 318 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,000 Samuel had issues too. 319 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:37,000 All these men in the Bible, none of them was perfect, but still God used them to mentor others. 320 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:43,000 So as you look for a mentor, don't look for someone who's perfect. 321 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:49,000 Look for someone who in spite of his perfection has made it. 322 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,000 That one will tell you what he went through. 323 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,000 Hallelujah. 324 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:00,000 A mentor wants himself better. 325 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,000 A mentor wants himself better. 326 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:08,000 He wants the mentee to be better than him. 327 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:17,000 A real mentor wants the mentee to become better than him, to excel where he has gone. 328 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:22,000 Genesis chapter 25, verse 5 and 6. 329 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,000 Genesis 25, verse 5 and 6. 330 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:32,000 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, to the sons of the country by which Abraham had. 331 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:41,000 Abraham gave gifts and sent them from Isaac, his son, while he yet lived eastward and to the east country. 332 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:46,000 Abraham prepared for Isaac. 333 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,000 Abraham gave all he had. 334 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,000 He gave his best son. 335 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:59,000 He wanted his son to do better than him. 336 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,000 He wanted his son to excel more than him. 337 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:18,000 He even prepared for him so that all his stepbrothers and step-sisters, he removed them and took them from the far east, away from Isaac. 338 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:23,000 So others can concentrate on keeping his covenant with God. 339 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:28,000 He prepared the ground for Isaac to excel. 340 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:36,000 Every true mentor desires the mentee to do better than him. 341 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:45,000 Jesus said, the works I have done, you do and even more. 342 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000 Yeah. 343 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:57,000 Jesus, five percent of the world said the things I have done, I go to my father, you do even better than this. 344 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,000 That's a mentor. Now, that is a mentor. 345 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:05,000 He desires the best for his mentee. 346 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:18,000 He has no jealousy, no envy, no problem with his mentee, even doing far better than him. 347 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:24,000 Elijah told Elijah, Elijah, I want to have a question of what you do. 348 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:28,000 Elijah was shocked. He did not refuse. 349 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,000 He said, if you see me going, you will have it. 350 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:37,000 Because it's no problem. You can do twice as much as I have done. 351 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:42,000 And indeed, Elijah did twice as much as Elijah had done. 352 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,000 Now, that is a mentor. 353 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:54,000 He is not envious of the mentee. He proposes him to do even better. 354 00:35:54,000 --> 00:36:01,000 Do your best so that your children excel more than you. 355 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:09,000 Don't be jealous. Don't be envious. 356 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:13,000 Help them to go farther than you've gone. 357 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:20,000 If you never got a degree, make sure your children get degrees. 358 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:26,000 A mentor has no problem saying, you go farther than me, excel. 359 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,000 Oh, bless the Lord. 360 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:36,000 You have a mentor. And are you mentoring someone? 361 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:41,000 That is one thing that God looks and seeks in men. 362 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,000 And when God sees that you've got the ability to mentor others, 363 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,000 He is going to give you a vision that is cross-generational. 364 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:55,000 Because He knows the vision will continue when you are gone. 365 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,000 Why? Because you are mentoring others. 366 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:15,000 Praise God. 367 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Amen.